Warm Me Up
by Xenia van Hausen
Summary: Coldness is overtaking, and tragedy is befalling. "Although she was already too numb to feel anything anymore, she still felt soft drops of liquid colliding upon her cheeks."
1. This is Goodbye

February 27, 2010

_Summary: Coldness is overtaking, and tragedy is befalling. "Although she was already too numb to feel anything anymore, she still felt soft drops of liquid colliding upon her cheeks."_

Hello, everyone! Thanks for reading! I hope you like it, and please review and criticize! Please enjoy.

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own One Piece. It's way too wonderful to be mine.**

Update: I'm sorry if I take forever to get the second chapter up. I'm about half-way done with it. It'll probably be up in a few weeks! I'm sorry! - 3.11.10

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**Warm Me Up**

"No...Nami….no."

Her eyes were blurred, her face was pale, and her breathing was faint.

"Listen to me!"

Slowly, arduously, she opened her eyes to a slit.

"Haa…" a small smile forms. "Don't leave us—"silently—"don't leave _me_."

Confusion spread across her face, although the emotion was barely evident. Finally, it registered. He—_he_, the one so stupid, so naïve, so dense, so unpredictable—_he_ had just muttered, "Don't leave me."

Was it her imagination? Was she becoming so delusional that she actually imagined it? That it actually seemed so _real_?

A sudden shake to her whole body brought her back to reality—the intense pain jolting throughout her entire being. "Nami!" His voice—it's so troubled. "Open your eyes…I beg you. Let me see a hint of orange..." Once again, he dropped his voice to a whisper.

She slowly lifted her eyelids, realizing that they had descended, closing her eyes.

He grabbed her hand, splayed at her side. She felt how horribly his hands shook, how desperately they clung to her, begging her to stay. Although she was already too numb to feel anything anymore, she still felt soft drops of liquid colliding upon her cheeks.

Painfully, she lifted her free hand and brushed his face. Two warm hands quickly held on to hers, keeping it in place, cupping his cheek.

"Don't cry," she laughed, which broke into a cough. This was unusual—him, crying. "Thank you for everything—"

"No!" She moved her hand in front of his mouth. "Thank you for everything," she repeated.

"No, Nami." His voice cracked. "No."

"This is good-bye, Luffy." Her hand grew limp, and her face fell sideways into the white snow.


	2. All Because of You

March 14, 2010

Sorry for the wait, and thanks for reading! I really don't have a solid plan for this story, so I'm not sure how it's going to develop. My updates are not fast-they may take a few weeks. Thanks again for reading, and please, review and criticize! I'll consider any suggestions, too! Please enjoy! - **Warm Me Up, chapter 2. **

**Disclaimer:** I truly am not that awesome. Don't mistake me for the godly Oda-sensei. ONE PIECE IS EIICHIRO ODA'S CREATION!

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**All Because of You  
**

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_Five hours ago…_

"Luffy! Quit jumping around! Aren't you cold!" Nami scolded.

"Shishishishishishishishi—" BONK!

"ARE YOU LISTENING!"

"Ow, Nami!—" His complaint was cut off after he turned around to meet the angel turned devil-like face, with glowering eyes, and a hand raised with a who-knows-how-many-inches-high high heel.

"Where in the middle of who-knows-where, and you're jumping around like you don't have a care in the world!"

"But, Nami, it's snow!" Luffy whined.

A long sigh trailed out of the navigator's mouth. Where the heck are they? Where was everyone else? Ugh, and she just _had_ to be stuck with her good-for-nothing, happy-go-lucky captain, who only knows how to gobble up food.

"OOOOOHHHHHHHHH!" A faraway shout that sounded like her captain made Nami come out from her thoughts. Her eyes gave her the quick illusion of a straw hat dangling next to a red vest and blue shorts, but the image disappeared as her brain registered that nothing of the sort was there. Nami's original frustration quickly took over again, blocking out all other thoughts.

"LUFFFFFFFFFFFFYYYYYYYYYYY!"

And with one shout, the navigator was after her captain, like a cat chasing a mouse, though this mouse was not as smart to evade the swift cat's paws.

_Whack!_ The object in which he so luckily evaded earlier connected with his head now, throwing him off balance, and leaving a dent in the straw hat. Luffy fell into the deep snow—from afar, it seemed like the snow just fell around that certain place, making a Luffy-shaped dent, the said person imperceptible.

A silent "oof" sounded in the snow as Nami jabbed her foot with the remaining heel into Luffy's back. "Did-n't I say to quit jump-ing a-round?" Nami enunciated menacingly, pronouncing each word carefully and slowly.

"Yesh, chyou did, m'amum," Luffy uttered.

Another sigh escaped from Nami. Why did it feel like she was teaching a kindergartener every day? Why was she so enticed to this moron? She lifted her feet and allowed Luffy to jump back up.

"Shishishishishishishi."

That wide grin of his, those forever trusting eyes, they were captivating.

Those thoughts were quickly swept away—replaced by a swift punch to a straw-hat-covered head. "How can you not feel cold when we're still drying from the water, standing in a snowing island, and wearing shorts and short-sleeves!" Nami brought her arms to her chest, rubbing her arms.

Luffy stared at her blankly, and after a few seconds, he started to shiver. "Wh-why's s-it s-so co-cold!"

…

Ignoring that remark, Nami continued to analyze the situation. "First off, we need to know where we are. Then, we need to figure out how to get back to the crew. I don't know how you can fall off Sunny-Go in that storm, and I don't know why it was ME who jumped to save you. Now we've landed in this winter island, without a clue of anything."

"Shishishishi! Daijyou—bu! We'll find them!" That grin again.

How is it that that grin always overwhelms her with happiness, when he should be punched till he has bumps all over his head for his stupidity?

A slight rustle in the bushes made her jump, forgetting to scold Luffy to turn around.

"Nami?" His head was turned to the side; she can hear it.

"Luffy…There's something in there…" The tremble in her hand was slightly noticeable.

The dense captain flipped around and stared into the bushes. "Shishishishi! I wonder if it's yummy!" And with that, he raced into the foliage to catch whatever it was.

That meant, though, Nami was left alone.

"Luffy!"

Silence.

"LUFFY!"

Echo.

"Luffy..." Her eyes grew big, and she slapped her hand on her forehead. "Ugh, that moron! Why couldn't he—" the rustle was more violent this time. Nami's frozen frame grew pale. "Luffy…Luffy, where are you?" she murmured.

"Shishishishishi! What could it be? I'm hungry! Ah, I wish Sanji was here! Nami! What do you think it could be?" Not until he finally looked back did he realize that Nami was not following him.

"Nami?" Braking to a stop, the stupid captain vigorously glanced everywhere. "Nami! Oi, Nami! Don't play hide-and-seek with me!" Completely serious about that idea, he put his hands on his hips as he threatened to scold his navigator if she continued her game.

_30 seconds…_

"Nami? Where'd you go!" Luffy shouted, his hands slipping from his hips to cup his mouth.

No reply.

Luffy looked around once more, and prepared to jump into a tree.

"!" –Echoes.

Mid-jump, Luffy froze. That was definitely Nami's voice. Definitely.

"LUUUFFFF—!"

Silence.


	3. Wait For Me

May 5, 2010

EXTREMELY SORRY! I took forever on this chapter. When I started this story, I had completely no plan. I sort of went as I wrote. I had a vague idea of what I wanted-that was Luffy having to warm a freezing Nami, hence the title, Warm Me Up. Please tell me your ideas of where you think this story is heading, because I might make it similar to that way. Again, sorry for the wait, and thank you for reading! Please give some more advice and enjoy! - **Warm Me Up, Chapter 3.**

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**Wait For Me**

.

He ran.

He ran with a slight uncertainty. What's this? Why's his heart pounding so hard, when it should be a little bit slower? He was fit—his heart rate shouldn't be this high.

Jumping from the bare branches, the deadly silence was overwhelming. Nothing but his pounding heart, heavy breathing, and soft 'plop' of the snow was audible.

The clearing was visible now; a light orange blob in the clear white snow.

"NAMI!"

He hurtled himself towards her, grabbing her powerless body by the shoulders. "Nami. Nami, oi! Nami!" The urgency in Luffy's voice would have surprised all the crew members, had they been there. When has Luffy been worried about anything?

"Oi! Nami! Wake up!" He kept shaking her, until she let out a small whimper.

"Luf—fy," she mumbled. Her eyes opened a slit, enough for her to see his face, and as she slowly came to, her body shook terribly.

"Nami! I thought you were dead!" Luffy exclaimed.

"That's what I thought…" A series of violent coughs erupted from the navigator. Luffy supported Nami's weight by lifting her with his left hand, all the while holding her left with his right. "Nami, you're so cold!"

She raised her head to meet his eyes. What she met quite confused her. "I'm fine…." And she drifted off. That expression was unusual. Luffy, with such a face? Impossible.

Another series of coughs interrupted Nami's subconscious thoughts. This time, though, her vision started to blur more than it already was.

"What happened to you! Nami! Tell me, I'll go kick his ass!" The reckless captain began to stand up, ready to charge off again.

"No!" Nami held onto his hand—she winced. "Stay. Stay with me." Her voice was barely audible.

Luffy's expression softened, and he settled back beside her.

"I'm losing it again… I can't see you clearly—Luffy, you're so warm." Her head fell silently against her captain's chest. She seemed as if she was about to faint again.

"No...Nami….no."

Her eyes were blurred, her face was pale, and her breathing was faint.

"Listen to me!"

Slowly, arduously, she opened her eyes to a slit.

"Haa…" a small smile forms. "Don't leave us—"silently—"don't leave _me_."

He grabbed her hand, splayed at her side. She felt how horribly his hands shook, how desperately they clung to her, begging her to stay. Although she was already too numb to feel anything anymore, she still felt soft drops of liquid colliding upon her cheeks.

Painfully, she lifted her free hand and brushed his face. Two warm hands quickly held on to hers, keeping it in place, cupping his cheek.

"Don't cry," she laughed, which broke into a cough. This was unusual—him, crying. "Thank you for everything—"

"No!" She moved her hand in front of his mouth. "Thank you for everything," she repeated.

"No, Nami." His voice cracked. "No."

"This is good-bye, Luffy." Her hand grew limp, and her face fell sideways into the white snow.

"Nami..? Oi, Nami…" He shook her lightly. He, himself, shook quite terribly. Slowly, Luffy scooped his navigator up in his arms. "Nami, don't worry." He voice cracked yet again. "I'll protect you. I'll take care of you. You'll be okay."

Luffy trudged through the deep snow, heading closer towards the mountains far ahead.

He walked for hours.

Nami was growing colder, paler, every minute. The only sign telling Luffy that she was still alive was her faint breathing, the subtle rise and fall of her chest.

How much time has passed since then, who knows? The Strawhat captain finally spotted a small opening, and he approached it. Tight and dark, one who was claustrophobic would certainly not survive in it. No matter what, the small cave had to make do. Luffy had to make Nami better.

He walked in, and carefully set her down. She was ice cold, and he was so numb and shivering so hard, he couldn't give her any warmth. Regardless of that, Luffy began breathing into his hands and then rubbed them on Nami's arms and hands.

"N-N-N-N-N-Na-mi-mi-mi, N-N-Nami!" He pleaded desperately. His warmth was not sufficient for either of them. Didn't Sanji teach him how to make fire before? What was it?

Wood… Dry wood. Those trees out there were quite bare; they'll have to make do.

"Nami, wait for me." With that, Luffy rushed out, heading for the trees, miles back.

* * *

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_To be continued..._


	4. Stay

June 24, 2010

Ah, late again. I'm deeply sorry. I had originally thought that I wanted this to be a one-shot story, but it seems that it'll be going on for quite a few more chapters. Please, I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Thank you for sticking with my story! xD Sorry for the wait, and please give me more advice! -**Warm Me Up, Ch. 4**

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**Stay  
**.

The day was long. The sun was never present. Luffy did not know—could not know—how much time has passed. One moment, it seemed as if he needed to be back beside Nami immediately, yet at other moments he felt that he's been away for only a few minutes. The Straw Hat captain was inside the bare forest now, trying to find food and dry wood.

Except for the soft "smush" of his feet into the thick snow, the area was silent. Animals would be in hibernation now, and this place was isolated. He needed wood, but he also needed food.

Where can he find food? Who, or what, was it that attacked Nami? She didn't have any apparent bruises or cuts.

She wasn't bleeding, not extensively, at least. What happened?

_Nami…don't die on me!_

Luffy never worried so much before. Unless he was in battle, he could never be serious for long. The record was definitely less than two minutes.

He ran deeper into the forest, until he saw a faint shadow in the distance. Eyes widening, Luffy, so reckless and impatient, sprinted over.

The poor thing didn't have enough time to scamper away. Once it knew of Luffy's pursuit, he already had his arms around it.

"Gotcha! Shishishishi—ara?" Long, wide horns; four, sturdy legs; brown fur; large eyes; the moose gave an infuriated snort. "Ara ara! You look like Chopper!" Luffy wrapped his arms around the moose's neck and already climbed onto its back. It thrashed about, kicking its hind legs, ramming its horns into trees.

"Argh…!" Then—bam! The moose lay silent on the perfect snow, a huge bump on its forehead. "Alright! I got food. Now, how do I figure out what is good wood again?" The captain stood dumbfounded for a second, scratching his head. "Ah, no worries! I'll just bring a lot of trees back, and one of them would work! That's right!"

With that, he slapped a fist into his palm, and started to break down trees.

Less than twenty minutes later, almost the whole forest was knocked down. "Yosha! But, how do I drag all this back?" Again, with his nonchalant attitude, Luffy somehow brought the moose first to the cave, then he went back to retrieve the wood.

"Nami!" Luffy ran inside once everything was set. "Nami! Wake up!"

He cupped her face in his hand, moving her to face him. She leaned on the back wall of the cave, hands limp by her side, legs spread forward, making her sit in an upright, yet slumped, position.

"Nami…you're so cold. I'm sorry I'm late," Luffy said in a soft whisper, "I'll get the fire going now!"

He first grabbed a thick branch then broke a tree stump in half vertically, revealing the inside. Then, he fervently rubbed the branch onto the stump, trying his hardest to create a high friction. Many times he failed, scratching up his hand. Probably it was an hour later when a small spark appeared, lighting a small fire.

"Yatta! Nami! Look, I did it!" Luffy yelled in excitement, pointing at the fire and turning his head towards the orange-hair navigator. "Oh, Nami…" and he lost his enthusiasm. As he turned his head back, the fire was starting to die.

"No!" Luffy shouted, and began to grab the wood he gathered and feed it to the diminishing fire. "No, no, no! Don't go away!"

Finally, it flared into a warm fire, lighting the cramp shelter. Releasing a long sigh, Luffy slumped against the wall. "Shishi…shishi…" His eyelids drooped. "Nami…I did…it…"

He couldn't hold his head up anymore. "Nami…" He trailed off, falling asleep. The fire burned on.

"Mm…Nami?" Luffy woke up, dazed. "Where am I? The fire…"

He blinked a few times, staring blankly at the tiny flame confused. "The fire…why's there—the fire! Wood! Wood, where's the wood!"

Luffy jumped to his feet, rushing to snatch the wood into his hands. Quickly, he thrust the timber into the dying fire. "Come on…grow!" After few agonizing seconds, the flame raged. Once again, Luffy sighed and slumped onto the wall. Slowly, he slid down to a sitting position. "I never thought it'd be this hard! How did I fall asleep! I need to cook the meat…" Luffy reprimanded himself.

"Nami…" He took a glimpse at Nami, and then headed over to the meat. Without any knives, Luffy had to rip it. The pieces ended up being jagged and uneven. Luffy stuck as many as he could onto small branches, and put them around the fire. Finally, he was able to go over to Nami.

"Ah, Nami. You're so cold…I'm sorry I didn't move you closer to the fire earlier…I'll do that now." He carried her, legs over one arm, back supported by another. In other words, "princess style." He couldn't go without noticing that she was becoming even colder, even paler.

Carefully, he set her down against a side wall, closer to the fire. He went over to the moose meat and turned the self-made skewers. Then, he returned beside Nami and sat. Luffy took her left hand into both of his, and held tightly onto it, trying to give her more warmth.

He pulled her hand out towards the fire, and slowly massaged it, switching to her other hand once this one regained some heat.

"Your face is still so cold. Your whole body is still so cold. Nami, are you freezing?" Luffy put his hands up towards the fire, and cupped Nami's face in them as soon as they warmed up. He pulled her close, hugging her right beside the fire. He turned her, so that she could lean against his chest.

"Nami, you'll be fine. Don't worry, you'll be fine." Luffy seemed to be trying to reassure himself more than he seemed to be reassuring Nami.

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_To be continued..._


	5. At Last

June 25, 2010

Yay! I got this one up really quickly this time! I hope you all enjoy! Thank you for the reviews! I love reading and receiving them! Please enjoy! - **Warm Me Up, Chapter 5.**

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**At Last**

**.  
**

"Just wait a bit, okay, Nami?" Luffy gently set Nami aside, and headed outside.

Luffy had devoured the moose meat, and some was left for Nami. However, Luffy decided to set the meat aside and give her water first.

He made a little "bowl" out of a tree stump, but it was more like a dent in the wood rather than "a bowl."

He scooped some ice into it, and brought it back in to melt the ice. Both he and Nami needed the water. As he placed the ice right beside the fire, he returned to Nami, grasping her hand. A few seconds later, he let out a long sigh. The Straw Hat Captain's usual smile returned, but his weariness was also present.

He looked drained, yet he was extremely relieved. "I'm glad you're warming up, Nami. The water will be ready soon, 'kay?"

Truly, color was returning to Nami's face. Although still pale, a hint of pink appeared on her lips and on her cheeks. Her faint breathing was more audible now—thank goodness.

Luffy grabbed the bowl of—now—water and took a sip. The rest he tried feeding to Nami. However, seeing as it wasn't really a bowl, his attempt failed.

Water dripped all over Nami instead of inside her mouth. Well, Luffy wasn't ever known for his neatness. "Ah! Nami! Gomen ne!" Through Luffy's panic, the water was spilling out because it was tilted.

"AH! Noo! …" Luffy slumped, treaded outside, and scooped up some more ice. He set it beside the fire again, and stayed quiet. Once in a while, he'd peek up at Nami, and be relieved that color was returning.

At last, the ice melted. Looking from the water to Nami, Luffy tried to decide how he could feed it to Nami. Once decided, Luffy kneeled with one knee on the side of Nami, and lifted her forward. One arm supporting her, Luffy poured water into his mouth with the other.

He put the water down, and carefully, he tilted his head towards Nami's dry lips. He held her tightly, and opened her mouth with his free arm. Water still dripped down both sides of her lips, but Luffy did a better job than before. At least, Nami received her much needed fluids.

Luffy repeated this action until the water was gone, which was not many times. He had to go back out to get more ice to melt. Back inside, he sat next to Nami again, and this time, her breathing could be heard easily. Although slow and jagged, she was breathing.

Once again, Luffy sat beside her and grasped her hand. Warmth was there. Definitely. "Nami…are you okay?" Slowly, the captain fell asleep, leaning against the navigator.

* * *

She was freezing. Or rather, she wasn't freezing. Her body was too numb to feel anything, so was she really freezing? This place was dark, silent.

She couldn't move. Breathing was hard. Faint, faraway sounds were present if she tried hard enough to listen: quiet "plops," and the sound of things being dragged on something soft, a mushy sound.

She tried to move, to walk over to those sounds. Her limbs refused to budge. Eventually, she heard someone else's breathing. It was heavy and uneven; this person needed rest. She sensed him or her coming closer, saying something incomprehensible. Judging from the movements, she guessed it to be a guy. Who is it?

He moved away from her, and soon she heard frantic scraping of two rough objects. What's going on? What's happening?

Where am I?

Ah, it's getting even colder.

Wait, no, rather, she's losing her numbness. She finally felt how frozen she was. Did that guy start a fire?

She was warming up; the heat was penetrating her cold stature. Breathing was easier now, and she could hear herself. How much time had passed? She felt a liquid drip down her mouth, and a soft object was pressed against her lips. What was happening? The person sat beside her, and gripped her hand securely.

She could barely make out the sentence, "Nami…are you okay?" Shortly after, he leaned against her, his relaxed breathing a lullaby to Nami's heart.

* * *

Luffy awoke to the realization that Nami was really warm now. Her breathing was clearly audible, and it was more even and natural. The flush returned to her face, and her arms and legs were relaxed.

Luffy, for a split second, believed that she was sleeping instead of unconscious and possibly about to die any second. To be safe, he pulled her close to the fire again and leaned her against his chest.

Then, Nami's breathing grew heavy and rapid, and her head began to twitch. A frown became present on her face. Luffy jerked forward, hugging Nami tightly. "Nami! What's wrong! Nami!"

She thrashed for a second, then screamed, "LUFFY!" and she went limp; her breathing calmed down to a steadier pace.

"Nami?" Luffy gently patted her cheek. "Oi, Nami!" His frown deepened, and one could see how worried he was.

Nami coughed once, then a spasm of coughs followed. Luffy quickly turned her around to face him, and hugged her close again. "Nami! Wake up! It's alright now, wake up, Nami." He smoothed his hand over her back reassuringly, trying to stop her coughing. She soon stopped. "Nami…"

* * *

She was being chased. That thing just pounced at her. She grabbed her Perfect Clima Tact to defend herself. She fell down on her back with her arms and weapon outstretched to block the attack of the creature. She got to her feet and sprinted, but not fast enough. It was on to her quick. As it pounced once again, she screamed at the top of her lungs, the only person she trusted: that is, "LUFFY!"

* * *

Luffy continued rubbing Nami's back as if she was a child who had a nightmare. He didn't know what else he could do. He held her like that for a while, and Nami was quiet the whole time.

Finally, Luffy patted her head with his other hand, running his fingers through her orange hair. With that, a strangled noise escaped Nami's throat. Her eyes twitched, just the slightest bit, upon the contact. Another soft "Hn?" was made from Nami. At long last, she was waking up from her long frozen state upon Luffy's gentle caress.

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_Seriously! One of the reviews from the last chapter gave me a scare! __**Rizz **__posted, "_I was wondering the whole time if Nami was still alive or the body Luffy is cradling is already a corpse..." _WHOA! I couldn't help but be haunted by that thought. Well, to reply, Nami is __**not**__ dead! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter; I'll try to finish this soon! Please review and give more advice!_


	6. What?

December 19, 2010

You see, I took forever to update this one. I'm very sorry, but school was being a tyrant. I finally got the time to work on this, and I hope you enjoy this! I'll try to get the next one up in a week or so! (No promises, I'm so sorry). Please give me more advice, thoughts, and ideas for the story! - **Warm Me Up, Ch. 6**

* * *

**What?  
**.

She looked dazed, sitting between his laps. As she looked up into his eyes, the fire illuminated her pale lips, shrunken cheeks, glazed eyes. She started to take in the situation, bit by bit: a closed cave, bright with a fire's glow, and a dark shadow, or two.

One was leaned against another, and they were close. 

_Where…what…? _Then she felt warm, strong arms wrapped tightly around her…but…what was so different about them?

Next she realized that she was sitting down, against what? It was so warm, so comfortable. Some weird rock (or was it wood?) lay by the fire. The place was extremely warm, enhanced by her frozen body.

She sat, relaxed and dazed, and took a deep breath of relief. _Relief? For what?_ Not yet did she realize that someone was with her. Her eyes open, her body awake, she only took in the obvious—where and what.

She never wondered _why am I here? How_ _did I get here? Who brought me here?_ So she just sat there: one breath in, another breath out. _It's comfy…_ and she drifted off again, having the urge to sleep.

* * *

He stared.

And stared.

And stared.

"Na…" A breathless whisper. Luffy's eyes were big and expectant, glued to the head next to his chest. She was turning it slowly, looking around. He gripped her arms tighter, speechless. He heard her take a deep breath, and felt her chest rise. Then, she relaxed, her head dropping back, and she seemed ready to take a nap.

_No, wait, no! Nami— _He was too full of emotion to know how to speak properly, instead of think it.

"Na…na…Nami." It came out in stuttering parts, barely audible. The only indication that she heard anything was the slight twitch of her head, stopping from leaning back.

"NAMI!" Luffy exploded, jumping up and making Nami fly up with him due to the force of his sudden action. "NAMINAMINAMINAMI! YOU'RE AWAKE! SHISHISHISHI!" Everything finally registered in his slow brain, which meant all his excitement and enthusiasm came at once, as well.

Nami, having been projected into the air, stumbled with her feet, flapping her arms around in search for balance. "Uh—wuh—whoaAH!"

Her nose was about to touch the hard ground when a pair of stretchy and skinny arms grabbed her, and spun her around. "Wuh-ahh!-uff." In a mere few seconds, she went from peaceful to panicked and panting. Still, she didn't immediately try to find out who the person was, and stood there, recollecting her thoughts.

Oh, was that a difficult thing to do.

"Nami! Nami! NAMI!" Luffy, by this time, was already jumping up and down, with his trademark smile plastered to his face.

"Nami!" She faced him, and stared. Slowly, slowly, her eyes grew as she finally registered what was going on. Before she could fully react, though, Luffy stretched his hands and cupped her face, tightly, puckering her lips out so that she looked like a puffer fish.

With his hands still on her face, he snapped himself close in front of her, so that they were just inches apart.

"Ru-Luffy! Ish it you?" Nami tried to speak.

"Shishishishishi! Nami, you're awake!" He still held her face tightly.

"Leth go!" She grabbed his wrists, and pulled, but that only stretched his arms.

"Shishishishishi!" Luffy was too happy to remember to do anything else.

"I shaid, leth go!" and Luffy's head was knocked down, making contact with the hard floor. He still held on though.

"Gah, Nami! What was that for?" He stood straight, a pout on his boyish face, rubbing the bump on his head.

Nami was now standing with one hand on her hip, the other held up in a fist, and she looked completely irritated—eyes tight, teeth clenched—just as she normally did when Luffy was messing things up.

Once Luffy saw her full of energy, in her normal attitude, his eyes and smile grew soft, and he calmed. His shoulders loosened, and the fatigue finally appeared on his face. "Nami, I'm so glad you're safe."

Her tense stature relaxed. Her eyes opened and looked at Luffy. This time, she noticed the wounds on his body, the bloodied fingers, the swollen eyes, the matted hair, the ripped clothing, the bruises and frostbite on his arms and legs. Her orange orbs turned into bewilderment, revealing her comprehension of his condition. "What..happened?"

"Eh?" He followed her eyes and looked at his own self. "Ah? There's nothing wrong." He looked back up and met her eyes.

She walked over to him, and touched the wounds on his face.

"Nothing?" Barely a whisper.

"Nothing?" Louder this time.

"Yeah, nothing!" He gave her his smile, trying to reassure her.

Nami didn't reply, but just kept examining his injuries: his face, his arms, his chest, his hands. "Your fingers, Luffy. What happened?" She was quiet, and her face was contorted with concern.

"Um. Nothing!" He smiled again.

She looked up, holding onto his hand. No words were said, but her expression was pleading, distressed, and she did not break her gaze.

Luffy squirmed, and tried to pull his hand away. "Na-Nami, you're fine now! I'm not hurt! I'm not lying!"

"Not…hurt…" Anger was boiling inside her, bubbling like magma inside a volcano. "Not hurt…you say. Not hurt. How can you not be hurt when you're all tattered like this!"

She flung away his hand. Pacing back and forth in the cave, her voice grew with fury. "You can't fool me! What have you done! Why can't you tell me?"

She whirled around to face Luffy, throwing her arms around to get her anger out and point across. "What if you were hurt! What if something happened to you?"

She was still, and her voice dropped. "What if you didn't come back?" Luffy looked up at her. "What if you…what if you…" She seemed to be mumbling more to herself than yelling at Luffy now. "…were attacked by…_that_…" She met Luffy's gaze, and her eyes were watery.

She held herself with her arms, and her knees buckled beneath her.

"Nami!" He knelt beside her. "Nami, Nami! I'm sorry! I'm not hurt! See?" He pulled his cheeks out to get her to laugh.

Nami looked up, but her eyes were full of fear. She grasped his arms. "Luffy, don't…be so stupid. What would…I do…without…you?" Her eyelids drooped, and she fainted again.

He caught her in his arms, and stared at Nami, her forehead creased in a frown.

* * *

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_._

_I hoped you enjoyed this! I tried to make Nami's fury understandable, but I'm not sure if I did a good job on that... Please, give me some criticism and ways to improve! Thanks for reading! Have a GREAT New Year's and happy holidays!_


	7. For You

February 5, 2012

_I finally updated, yes I did. =)_

**Warm Me Up** - **Chapter 7:**

* * *

**For You**

**.  
**

"Uh…" Her head leaned against his chest, arms limp on his, legs bent behind her. "Nami?"

She drew deep, slow breaths. Luffy, knees still bent down, didn't move, but continued to observe his navigator's face, pale, yes, but more color was returning. Her forehead still had that small crease.

Everything she had said didn't make much sense in that slow brain of his, so he decided to just ignore it. The straw hat had been hanging on the back of his neck from its tiny piece of string. Now, he grabbed it with his right hand and pulled it on top of his matted hair.

The fire flickered, moving the two shadows across the cavern walls. He sat quietly with her half lying on the floor, half propped up against him.

"Mm..mff." Nami stirred, and when she opened her eyes, on the left she saw an unfocused part of red, and the rest were the rocky walls.

_Oh, it's Luffy. That idiot, he made me lose all my energy from yelling at him._

Leaning against him felt very comfortable, so she stayed like that for a few more minutes. When she tried to sit up, she struggled to slip out of Luffy's firm grasp, and she finally looked up to order him to let go.

His head was drooped to the side, and a big bubble was coming out of his nose. He breathed through his mouth, but his snore was quiet.

Once again, Nami couldn't help but notice the wounds on his face. He was scratched up badly, and dried blood was visible. She sat stunned for a brief moment, then continued to struggle out of Luffy's grasp.

When she finally got out, she faced him, sitting with her legs bent beneath her, in a kneeling position. He drooped down, face towards the ground, arms at his sides. He was tired—no argument needed for that. Nami pulled him by the fire and lay him down. She spotted the bowl Luffy tried to make and examined it.

Well, it was quite sloppy, but it'll work. She took it and went outside of the cave. The wind was blowing, causing the snow to drift and make the place not visible. She was still weak, and the coldness was not helping. Quickly, Nami scooped up some snow and brought it back inside, near the fire.

She sat opposite of Luffy, whose snore grew louder. She stirred the snow to try to melt it faster. Back and forth, she glanced at Luffy's wounds—on his arms, hands, legs, feet, face, chest, everywhere—and at the melting snow.

She tried her best to block out all other thoughts that were not of what she was doing: _Melt the snow. Melt the snow. The least I can do now is to clean his wounds. The least I can do…keep going._

His snores continued. Nami used the little strength she had left to stir the snow. The warmth from the fire helped, and water was beginning to form. Pushing herself up, Nami stood unsteadily. The snow melted faster over the fire.

As she set the bowl down, Nami glanced at Luffy once again. He looked older, more mature, more strained.

There was a quick ripping sound, and Nami noted that she would be even colder now. She dipped the cloth in the warming water, and knelt beside her captain. He was cold; she grabbed his hand.

She tried to clean every wound visible on his scarred body. The whole time, Luffy's snores resonated against the cave's walls.

* * *

"NAMI-SWANNNN!" Sanji was in a panic.

"LUFFY!" Usopp shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Hmph." Zoro leaned against the railing.

"Hah! Aren't you worried about them!" Chopper couldn't contain his disbelief.

"Yohohohoho! I wonder where they are!" To tell the truth, Brooks was never serious.

"Maybe they've gone to see Davy Jones." Robin, always thinking of the negative.

"ROBIN!"

"Robin-chwan!"

"A-hm-hm."

The crew wasn't in much of a panic, no. Zoro leaned on the side of Thousand Sunny-Go, Robin and Brook stood to the side of the crowd, Franky steered the ship, Sanji was the usual stupid love-sick cook, and, well, Usopp and Chopper were crying their eyes out.

"That captain is always such a nuisance."

Usopp and Chopper's heads snapped towards the first mate. "How could you say that! Do you not care about Luffy! Don't you know that he can't swim!" They continued to hold on to each other. "You have no heart! You bastard!" Their wails filled the air again.

The said "heartless bastard" sighed. "Luffy's not an idiot. No, wait, maybe he is. But he's not dumb enough to let himself die so easily. Trust in his animal instincts."

"Marimo! I don't give a damn about that moron, but we've gotta find Nami-swan! I'll be her knight and save her from danger!"

"Franky, do you remember where it is?" Zoro couldn't care less about what the ero-cook's fantasies were.

"Aa, I think so!"

" 'kay."

Silence…the crew didn't know what to say in such a situation. Their captain was gone, possibly on the winter island now, but this time, he wasn't the one to blast himself off.

"I wonder if it's inhabited."

"Robin! How can you be so calm?" Chopper wailed.

She chuckled, and patted the doctor's back. "Don't worry, we'll find them. Come on, let's watch Sunny-Go get closer to the island."

Chopper was speechless, admiring Robin's sophistication. "U-uuoh!" His hind paws were audible as he skipped after Robin to the side of the ship.

Although the crew believed in their captain's abilities, they couldn't help but worry for his and their navigator's safety. What if something did happen and they didn't arrive in time to protect him? A crew must never fail his captain, and vice versa.

* * *

His eyelids lifted open, and he could smell mikans. Something heavy was against his left arm—Nami. She stirred, and glanced up at him. His shadow was on her, putting her face in the dark. They couldn't find words to speak, so a pair of black eyes met a pair that was vivid orange.

"Nami, are you okay?"

She pushed herself up into a sitting position, briefly rubbing sleep from her eyes. Her head hurt, her skin felt utterly uncomfortable, and—and...

"Yeah, I'm fine."

She heard no reply; after realizing, she stopped her hand's motion and peered up at Luffy. He stared intently down at her, an expression in his eyes she was not used to seeing.

Was that concern?

Worry?

No, those emotions never applied to the happy-go-lucky captain of hers.

"What is it?" she tried to snap, but it came out much differently than she had intended.

Luffy didn't reply this time, either, and a sense of dread began forming itself in the pits of Nami's stomach. What was wrong?

He lifted his arm, scarred, bruised, bloodied, and caressed her cheek.

Shocked, Nami didn't know how to respond, only instinctively leaning in to the hand.

"Nami…"

Her eyelids slid shut, thinking maybe, just maybe, this wasn't too bad.

Her eyes flew open once she felt something press against her forehead, and she almost screamed in surprise when Luffy's face was dangerously close to hers.

He had pressed his forehead to hers, and she could feel puffs of his warm breath on her skin whenever he exhaled.

"Are you sick?" His voice was soft, gentle.

"No…no, I'm fine."

She felt his lips spread into a smile, his contagious, radiant smile that she could never resist.

"I'm glad…" His fingers wrapped around her chin, and he pulled back as his hand tilted her face up.

"I'm glad," he repeated, and leaned in; his mouth brushed against hers. It was hesitant, curious, experimental.

Only when Nami didn't flinch away did Luffy deepen the kiss, pulling Nami closer to him, breathing in her scent.

Their kiss tasted of melted snow and morning breath, mixed with a tinge of blood.

None of that mattered; they were together, they will always stay together, and they will find a way back.

* * *

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_Sorry it took me more than a year to update this story; I do love it, I'm telling you. It's just so hard to keep it going! Thank you for sticking with me, and I'm very sorry._

_To be continued...?_


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